A corner display counter

Abstract: A corner display counter is disclosed which has a display window (9) hinged on respective uprights (6a,b) about a non-perpendicular hinge axis to the uprights and elastic means (30), for balancing out at least part of the display window (9) weight, which are connected pivotally to the uprights with one (30a) of their ends and act on the display window with the intermediary of a feeler (32) pivoted to the corresponding upright (6a,b) and in either rubbing or rolling contact with the display window (9).

Description: This invention relates to a corner display counter, in particular a refrigerated display window counter according to the preamble of claim 1. Display counters with the construction outlined above are known from the production line of this applicant as well as from DE-A-3411041. Such counters are usually fabricated in the form of modular assembly elements adapted to be laid side-by-side with other modular elements into a desired layout, or to be fitted with respective lateral sides and used separately, as desired. The term "corner display counter" as used herein encompasses both corner modular elements as used to assemble composite construction counters and the same elements as fitted with lateral sides and used separately. Composite construction display counters may include straight modules and corner modules, with the latter being either of the so-called open corner or closed corner type, these definitions being applicable to corner modules of a counter having a concave, respectively convex, front on their customer side. In accordance with the prior art, corner counters usually have, on their customer side, a display window with several glass panes, some of which are openable and some fixedly mounted. The need for plural glass panes, some of which are mounted not to be openable, is dictated by the current design of the hinges whereby the glass panes are attached, where possible, for swinging movement to respective ones of the counter uprights. The constructions of the counter and the hinges are such that the hinge axis about which each glass pane can be swung will lie substantially perpendicularly to the corresponding upright. Prior art display counters are usually provided, to facilitate swinging the glass panes to an open position of the display window, with elastic means such as gas springs which bias the display window to the open position by partly counterbalancing the weight of the glass panes. These gas springs have longitudinally opposite ends provided with respective eyes whereby they are pivoted to the uprights with one end and to the glass pane with the other, e.g. at the location of the second hinge member. The pivot axes of both ends are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the corresponding uprights. For reasons that will appear obvious, such pivot axes extend parallel to each other and to the hinge axis. Unless a separate pair of uprights are provided for each glass pane, therefore, it is impossible for display windows extending at a mutual angle to be both openable, even if they do not utilize the same hinge axis. The technical problem which underlies this invention is to provide a corner display counter which is suitable for use in both open (270°) angle applications and closed (90°) angle ones, while allowing for hinge mounting on one upright two display windows set at an angle from each other even where suitable elastic means are provided for facilitated window opening. Within the scope of this problem, it is an important object of the invention to provide the corner display counter with a single full-span openable glass pane. This problem is solved according to the invention by a counter as outlined above being characterised in that a follower is pivoted to the corresponding upright about a pivot axis which is not parallel to said hinge axis, said follower being provided between the elastic means and the display window and said follower being in articulated relationship with said elastic means and in sliding relationship with either rubbing or rolling contact with said display window. In accordance with such a technical solution, the elastic means, especially when consisting of a gas spring, may be accommodated within the upright, pivoted transversely thereto, although the reaction point of the gas spring on the second hinge member is liable to be shifted along a predetermined path during the display window opening and closing, respectively. Various modifications of the corner display counter defined in claim 1 are specified in the dependent claims. The features and advantages of the invention will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description of two preferred embodiments thereof illustrated, by way of example and not of limitation, in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of two refrigerated display counters according to this invention; Figures 3 and 4 are respective perspective detail views, drawn to an enlarged scale, of the counters shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figures 5 and 6 are a side elevation and top plan view, respectively, of the detail shown in Figure 4 with the display window in a closed position; Figures 7 and 8 are a side elevation and top plan view, respectively, of the detail shown in Figure 4 with the display window in an open position; Figure 9 is a side elevation view of a detail of the counter shown in the previous Figures; Figure 10 is a top plan view of a further detail of the counter shown in Figures 1 and 3; and Figure 11 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI in Figure 10. Shown at 1a and 1b in the drawings are two modular corner elements of a refrigerated display counter, being respectively a closed angle and an open angle construction. Such elements may be used to assemble a composite display counter using a technology known per se. The two modular elements, being each referred to hereinafter as the corner display counter in the same sense as specified above, are identical with each other in general concept. It should be understood, therefore, that they are made up of similar parts except where otherwise specified. Each counter 1a, 1b comprises an insulated load-bearing structure 2 having respectively a display deck 3, a customer side 4 and a shopkeeper side 5. Standing up from the side 5 of the load-bearing structure 2 are two uprights 6a (Figure 2) and 6b (Figure 1) which will be convergent on counter 1a and divergent on counter 1b in a direction away from the side 5. Each of said uprights comprises two plate-like members 7 set parallel apart which are connected rigidly together by spacers, not shown, and fixedly attached with one end to the load-bearing structure 2 of their respective counter 1a,b. Carried at the opposite end of each pair of uprights 6a, respectively 6b, are a lighting device 8 for the display deck 3 and a display window 9 having a single arcuate glass pane. It should be noted that, in accordance with the invention, the side 4 of the load-bearing structure and the corresponding free edge of the glass pane forming the display window 9 are straight opposite to the side 5 of the load-bearing structure which has an angled configuration. With reference to Figures 3 and 4, each display window 9 is articulated to its corresponding upright 6a,b by means of a respective hinge, denoted by 10a for counter 1a and 10b for counter 1b. Both hinges 10a,b have first and second hinge members 11a, 11b and 12a, 12b, respectively, which are articulated to each other through a respective hinge pin 13a, 13b having an axis Xa, respectively Xb. The first hinge member 11a includes a wedge-shaped body 14 having two opposite faces 15, 16 which are tapered to converge toward the display window 9. The wedge-shaped body 14 of the hinge 10b is identical in concept but tapered in the opposite direction. The body 14 is secured, as by means of screws 17, on one of the plate-like members 7 of its corresponding upright, with the face 15 close against it. That face 15 is formed with a step 18 for a purpose to be explained. Extending at right angles front the face 16 is an arm 19, formed integrally with the body 14. The hinge pin 13a is fitted in respective holes, along an axis Xa, which are formed in the free end of the arm 19 and in the wedge-shaped body 14. The axis Xa of such holes, and of the hinge pin 13a, lies perpendicular to the face 16 of the wedge-shaped body, and hence, at an angle from perpendicular to the surface of the plate-like members 7 of the corresponding upright 6a. The second hinge member 12a (12b) includes a clamp 20 having jaws 20a, 20b which can be clamped down by means of screws 21 onto the glass pane of the display window 9. The jaw 20a facing the corresponding upright 6a is formed with two L-shaped parallel grooves 22a, 22b. One of the two grooves receives either of two L-shaped lugs 23a, 23b of a bracket 24. The unused lug in this mount would be removed by a machining operation such as milling. By providing the bracket 24 with the aforesaid two lugs, one of which can be removed, and the jaw 20a with both grooves 22a, 22b, one of which is adapted to engage the lug 23a, 23b of choice, the advantage is secured that the configuration of the blanks from which said components of the hinge will be formed can be standardized for both open angle and closed angle counter applications. In fact, these two configurations of the counter involve different relative positioning of the bracket 24 and the clamp 20. Where the jaw 20a is formed, for example, by cutting from an extruded section bar, that same section bar, when cut to a different configuration, can provide both jaw types. The bracket 24 is through-penetrated by a hole 25 in which the hinge pin 13a is engaged, and by a further hole 26 through which a screw (not shown) is passed to engage a threaded hole 27 in the jaw 20a, thereby securing the jaw and bracket together. Finally, a plunger spring 30, of the kind commonly known as gas spring, or the like elastic means, is received between the plate-like members 7 to which it is pivotally connected with one end 30a. The opposite end of the spring 30 is attached pivotally to a first arm 31 of a follower 32. The follower 32 is pivoted, in turn, with a second arm 33 on a pin 34 having an axis Ya which lies perpendicularly between the plate-like members 7 and carries a third arm 35 having a pad 36 mounted on its free end. That pad 36 is in either rubbing or rolling contact with the confronting surface of the jaw 20a. It should be noted that with the follower 32 arranged to swing about the axis Ya, which is non-parallel to the hinge axis Xa, the pad 36 will be shifted along a path, schematically indicated at 37 in Figure 4, relative to the jaw 20a as the display window 9 is lifted up, from the closed position shown in Figures 2, 5 and 6 to the open position shown in Figures 7 and 8. In this way, the display window 9 can be hinged about a non-perpendicular axis to the longitudinal direction of the uprights without hindering the operation of the elastic means arranged to balance out at least part of the window weight. It should be noted that, for convenience and economy of assembly, the pin 34 projects with both ends out of the plate-like members 7, the jutting portion of the pin on the hinge 10a,b side being received into the recess created by the step 18. It will be appreciated that the structure disclosed above allows the uprights to be mounted along incident directions without restricting the display window opening movement. In addition, the uprights themselves are arranged to support, in an openable manner through a conventional hinge, the display windows of any modular display counter elements laid beside them.

Claims: A corner display counter, comprising: a load-bearing structure (2), at least one pair of uprights (6a, 6b) extending in a longitudinal main direction and having one end attached to the load bearing-structure (2), said uprights carrying a respective hinge (10a, 10b) at the opposite end, said hinge (10a, 10b) including a first hinge member (11a, 11b) attached to a respective upright and articulated to a second hinge member (12a, 12b) for pivotal movement about a predetermined hinge axis (Xa, Xb), an openable display window (9) so attached to said second hinge members (12a, 12b) as to be swingable on said uprights (6a, 6b) about said hinge axis (Xa, Xb) toward and away from an open position, and elastic means (30) acting between at least one of the uprights and the display window to urge the display window towards said open position, said hinge axis (Xa, Xb) being set at an angle from a transverse direction of the uprights (6a, 6b), characterised in that a follower (32) is pivoted to the corresponding upright (6a, 6b) about a pivot axis (Ya, Yb) which is not parallel to said hinge axis (Xa, Xb), said follower being provided between the elastic means (30) and the display window (9) and said follower being in articulated relationship with said elastic means (30) and in sliding relationship with either rubbing or rolling contact with said display window (9). A counter according to Claim 1, wherein said follower (32) is in either rubbing or rolling contact with said display window through the second hinge member (12a, 12b). A counter according to either Claim 1 or 2, wherein each upright comprises two substantially parallel plate-like members (7), said hinge axis (Xa, Xb) being inclined from perpendicular to said plate-like members (7). A counter according to Claim 3, wherein the first hinge member comprises a wedge-shaped body (14), arranged for attachment to a respective upright (6a, 6b), with two opposite tapering faces (15,16), one of which is facing the corresponding plate-like member (7) and the other of which is perpendicular to said hinge axis (Xa, Xb). A counter according to Claim 4, wherein said wedge-shaped body (14) carries an arm (19) extending at right angles from the opposite face thereof to the plate-like member (7), said second hinge member including a clamp (20), clamped down onto said display window (9), and a bracket (24), rigid with the clamp (20), which is received and pivoted between said other face (16) of the wedge-shaped body (14) and said right-angle arm (19). A counter according to one or more of Claims 3 to 5, wherein said elastic means include a plunger spring (30) received between said plate-like members (7) and pivotally connected thereto with one end (30a), said follower (32) being pivotally connected to said plate-like members and said spring about perpendicular axes to said plate-like members (7).

Inventors: MARSILETTI CARLO ALBERTO, MARSILETTI, CARLO ALBERTO
Applicants: COSTAN SPA, COSTAN S.P.A.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: A47F3
IPC codes: E05F1, A47F3